Many of the things Trump is doing are illegal or unconstitutional. His attempt to undo birthright citizenship is a blatant contradiction of the 14th Amendment. His refusal to spend money already appropriated by Congress violates both the Constitution’s assignment of spending power to Congress and the Impoundment Act of 1974. He has no authority to disband agencies created by Congress, like USAID or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His treatment of federal employees violates the laws establishing the civil service, as well as union contracts signed by previous administrations.
But laws do not enforce themselves if lawbreakers are determined to ignore them. Victims of the law-breaking have to go to court. Judges have to rule in accordance with the law in spite of executive pressure against them. Court orders can be appealed, so the process can take a long time.
So far, the lower courts are following the law and the Constitution, so Trump is losing most of the cases.
This is all leading up to two questions:
- Will the Supreme Court invent new interpretations of our laws to back Trump up, essentially ending the rule of law as we have known it?
- If the Court does rule against Trump, will he defy the Court’s orders?
Coast Contact 